1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photographing apparatus, such as a digital camera or the like, having a camera shake correction function and a control method of the apparatus. The invention also relates to a computer program product for causing a computer to perform the control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital cameras having a camera shake correction function that prevents an image blur arising from a camera shake at the time of photographing are proposed. The camera shake correction function prevents a camera shake induced blur of an image to be obtained by photographing by detecting an amount of camera shake caused by hand movement using a camera shake sensor, such as an acceleration sensor or the like, and driving a camera shake correction lens constituting a taking lens or a camera shake correction system constituted by an image sensor, such as a CCD or the like, in the direction opposite to the direction of the blur and orthogonal to the optical axis based on the detection result.
In the mean time, cameras having red-eye reduction capabilities are known. In such type of cameras, for example, light emission is initiated from a red-eye reduction lamp in response to a full depressing operation of the release button, and photographing is performed after a predetermined time. This causes a flash photograph to be taken with the pupils of a subject (person) seeing the light emitted from the red-eye reduction lamp being contracted, so that red-eye effects are less noticeable on the obtained image.
For cameras having a camera shake correction function, when performing such red-eye reduction operation, it is necessary for the camera shake correction function not to be affected by the red-eye reduction operation. Consequently, a camera in which a camera shake correction system is driven after a predetermined time from a red-eye reduction operation is proposed as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,246. Another camera in which focusing is performed after receiving an instruction to perform main photographing, then red-eye reduction operation is performed, and a camera shake correction operation is performed after the camera shake correction system is driven to a predetermined initial position is proposed as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,246. Still another camera in which a red-eye reduction operation is performed after receiving an instruction to perform main photographing, then a camera shake correction system is driven to a predetermined initial position, such as the center of drive in addition to a focusing operation, and a camera shake correction operation is initiated after a predetermined time from the red-eye reduction operation with a simultaneous flash emission is proposed as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,246. Here, the camera shake correction system can be moved the most in every direction orthogonal to the optical axis when placed at the predetermined initial position. Therefore, when the camera shake correction system is driven to the predetermined initial position, effective camera shake correction results may be obtained.
Further, a camera in which drive performance of the camera shake correction system is changed according to photographing mode of the camera in order to obtain an image with an unnecessary image blur being suppressed according to the photographing conditions is proposed as described, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6(1994)-051363.
Still further, a method that obtains images through non-flash and flash exposures prior to main photographing and controls the emission amount of flash at the time of the main photographing using the two images (i.e., performing light control)is also proposed. The non-flash and flash exposures are, hereinafter, collectively referred to as “light control exposure”, and calculation of emission amount using the results of the light control exposure is referred to as “light control calculation”. In this way, by controlling the emission amount of flash through the light control exposure and light control calculation, an image having appropriate brightness may be obtained.
In the mean time, if a camera shake correction system is driven when performing light control exposure, camera shake effects may be removed from an image obtained through the light control exposure, which will result in improved accuracy of the light control. If the camera shake correction system is driven at the time of light control exposure and then main photographing is performed, however, it is often the case that the camera shake correction system is not placed at the center of drive when the main photographing is performed. This will limit the drive range of the camera shake correction system, so that camera shake correction may not be performed accurately when the main photographing is performed.